Question about A-levels
#1
Slob
Thread Starter
Joined: Sep 2009
Location: Ottineau
Posts: 6,342
Question about A-levels
This is really aimed at people still in the UK with kids of the appropriate age.
I have a son back in the UK. He's in his GCSE year and starting to think about A-levels. He seems to have a notion that is normal to do four. In my day it was three, unless you were very bright. Have things changed?
I have a son back in the UK. He's in his GCSE year and starting to think about A-levels. He seems to have a notion that is normal to do four. In my day it was three, unless you were very bright. Have things changed?
#2
Re: Question about A-levels
This is really aimed at people still in the UK with kids of the appropriate age.
I have a son back in the UK. He's in his GCSE year and starting to think about A-levels. He seems to have a notion that is normal to do four. In my day it was three, unless you were very bright. Have things changed?
I have a son back in the UK. He's in his GCSE year and starting to think about A-levels. He seems to have a notion that is normal to do four. In my day it was three, unless you were very bright. Have things changed?
#3
Re: Question about A-levels
From my understanding (limited and only from speaking to teenage relatives and neighbours), the norm these days is to start out studying 4 subjects, but to then drop your weakest one after AS level, so in essence you end up with 3.5 A levels (3 full A levels and 1 AS).
HTH.
HTH.
#4
Slob
Thread Starter
Joined: Sep 2009
Location: Ottineau
Posts: 6,342
Re: Question about A-levels
All grist to the mill. Thanks to both of you.
#6
Slob
Thread Starter
Joined: Sep 2009
Location: Ottineau
Posts: 6,342
Re: Question about A-levels
When I did my maths O-level, you couldn't use a calculator. For the A-level (maths/statistics) you could but you still had to show the working. It was the same for the first two years of my degree.
#8
Binned by Muderators
Joined: Jul 2007
Location: White Rock BC
Posts: 11,682
Re: Question about A-levels
I seem to remember that we were allowed to use slide rules (though I'm damned if I could use one now). I also seem to remember that most of the marks were for the workings. You would fail if you just wrote down all the correct answers.
I took 3 A levels and 1 AS.
I took 3 A levels and 1 AS.
#10
Slob
Thread Starter
Joined: Sep 2009
Location: Ottineau
Posts: 6,342
Re: Question about A-levels
What you say reminds me of one infamous maths exam during my degree. It was a three-hour exam, based on one set of data that went through a series of analyses of increasing complexity involving lots of Greek letters. The end result was a single number, to two decimal places. There were only two possible marks on that test; 100% or 0%. You got no marks for the workings. Not many people got 100%.
#11
Re: Question about A-levels
Slide rules? There's posh. I think we had log tables. I would not know what to do with one these days.
What you say reminds me of one infamous maths exam during my degree. It was a three-hour exam, based on one set of data that went through a series of analyses of increasing complexity involving lots of Greek letters. The end result was a single number, to two decimal places. There were only two possible marks on that test; 100% or 0%. You got no marks for the workings. Not many people got 100%.
What you say reminds me of one infamous maths exam during my degree. It was a three-hour exam, based on one set of data that went through a series of analyses of increasing complexity involving lots of Greek letters. The end result was a single number, to two decimal places. There were only two possible marks on that test; 100% or 0%. You got no marks for the workings. Not many people got 100%.
#12
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 2,139
Re: Question about A-levels
What you say reminds me of one infamous maths exam during my degree. It was a three-hour exam, based on one set of data that went through a series of analyses of increasing complexity involving lots of Greek letters. The end result was a single number, to two decimal places. There were only two possible marks on that test; 100% or 0%. You got no marks for the workings. Not many people got 100%.